The statement said Maurer will be advising on EU-related matters about the negotiations, which have been going on for almost a year. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) President Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias have met 43 times since September 2008 to address matters of unification, yet talks have produced few results so far. Very little progress has been made, and that in only three of six main topics during the negotiations, Talat said during his visit to Association of Culture and Solidarity of the Bulgarian Turks (BTKDD) on Saturday. The leaders will come together on Oct. 14 for the 44th round of the talks.
Speaking about the appointment, Talat said he believes Maurer will contribute to the process. Noting that the EU will not be directly involved in the negotiations, Talat said Maurer will not be at the table but that they have no objections to Maurer staying in Greek Cyprus.
The negotiations to find a solution to the decades-long Cyprus problem were initiated by Turkish Cyprus President Talat in September 2008, and the two leaders of the island have held talks almost every week since then with a few exceptions. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said they will promote the recognition of Turkish Cyprus' independence in the spring of 2010 if the talks fail due to Greek Cyprus.
